A displaced Californian composer writes about music made for the long while & the world around that music. ~
The avant-garde is flexibility of mind. — John Cage ~
...composition is only a very small thing, taken as a part of music as a whole, and it really shouldn't be separated from music making in general. — Douglas Leedy ~
My God, what has sound got to do with music! — Charles Ives

Monday, October 13, 2008

More economics

Paul Krugman has just been awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. As it happens, I recently came across a small essay by Krugman on "How I Work" which presents four basic rules for research. These apply just as well to experimental music composition:

1. Listen to the Gentiles

2. Question the question

3. Dare to be silly

4. Simplify, simplify

(The first may seem a bit obscure, but Krugman indicates that he means "Pay attention to what intelligent people are saying, even if they do not have your customs or speak your analytical language." )